The release of Florence Cassez, the Frenchwoman sentenced to 60 years in prison for being part of a kidnapping gang, is being viewed as a victory for justice in her homeland but has divided opinion here in Mexico, where there is widespread belief that a foreigner has been given preferential treatment.

Soon after her return home, Cassez was revelling in her instant celebrity status, being touted on French television shows and meeting with President Francois Hollande and former President Nicolas Sarkosy, the latter for more than two hours. The two presidents had backed her unflinchingly and put bilateral relations at risk to ensure her release.In Mexico, the court of public opinion took out its anger on the five Supreme Court judges who ordered Cassez’s release after seven years in prison, as well as a law enforcement system that stands accused of violating her rights and soiling the case against her.